Prospects of getting into Grad school IR program for non-traditional student?

[Nico Corr]

I'm a non traditional student and am enrolled in a respected state school's distance learning program. I will graduate in the spring with a Social Sciences degree and project I will have somewhere between a 3.7-3.8 gpa by the end of undergraduate studies. I have always been fascinated by International Relations and foreign policy and I take as many classes as I can in these subjects. I have over eight years work experience in child care and education administration and I am actively applying to jobs in my interested field but have so far been unsuccessful. I plan to continue actively pursuing jobs/internships in the International relations field to buttress my applications, but does anyone have experience with or know of any non-traditional students getting into top IR grad schools? I have been looking at Woodrow Wilson, Fletcher, Gtown, SIS,SIPA, SAIS, Hertie and GPSIA specifically.

[Nico Corr]

Naso,

Thank you for your insight. I realize I am going to have to do more research to narrow down which programs are a better fit for me. I am most interested in the Eastern Mediterranean and conflict resolution. I would like to join the foreign service and eventually down the line teach at the college level.

[went_away]

Be encouraged; I made the jump from a nearly 8-year career in education to international affairs. It hasn't been easy, but it's definitely doable and while your prior skills likely will not enable you to start above entry level, they will be valued. You're definitely doing the right thing to look at top master's programs to build credibility in your chosen (very competitive!) field. I'd put in a plug here for Fletcher, which I found to be incredibly welcoming and helpful to nontraditional students looking to make a change. 

Edited September 9, 2015 by went_away

[Nico Corr]

Thanks for your feedback Went_away. I went to a grad school open house earlier in the week for IR programs and I was actually amazed to learn from admissions staff  that there are quite a few people who make the jump from education to IR. Compensation isn't so much important to me as doing something that I love. Thanks for your input. I really like the person I talked to from Fletcher. Some people were a little concerned about it not being anywhere near DC or NY or other hubs of IR traditional activity but I thought the curriculum and the internship opportunities they pitched were spot on.

[went_away]

Ya, I'd look first at program quality and fit and secondarily at location. Where it is just isn't that big of a deal as you'll mostly be applying for summer internships online and completing them while out of class. For example, going to Harvard Kennedy in sleepy Cambridge - or even Princeton/Yale way out of the way - likely will do a lot more for your career than going to the Elliot School (still quality, but not at the same level) in hopping Foggy Bottom.  Location matters more in terms of quality of life and where'd you like to live for general life reasons as opposed to professional opportunities.  SAIS and Fletcher match up pretty well and Georgetown MSFS is probably a notch above both, but all students compete for and tend to get similar opportunities. Personally, I think Fletcher is loads of fun and an incredibly stimulating place, not to mention quite a nice, traditional campus and just up the road from Harvard.